I'll Fight For You
by ren-shika-inu15
Summary: Hina's a soul reaper with a story to tell. Strange things begin to happen between her and her lieutenant after a night out drinking. He's not happy about how she feels about another lieutenant and he's determined to fight for her. Renji X OC. Review!
1. The Start

**Author's Note-Hello, Everyone! This is a Renji X OC fic and it's a little AU. Not too much though. Just no war or anything. Everyone is just chillin'. XD Anyway, I really hope you all enjoy it! R & R! Thanks!**

"Blah"-talking

'_Blah'_-thinking

'_**Blah'**_-talking with zanpakto

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Bleach**_**.**

Chapter 1

Well, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Hina Takeshi and I'm a soul reaper. Actually, I'm the fourth seat of the Sixth Division. You're here so I can tell you some of my story, right? I guess I better get started then.

It was a nice morning and I was walking to my office from the barracks.

'_I wonder if I can get Rikichi to spar with me today,' _I thought. I made it to my office and started on my paperwork. Since I'm the fourth seat, I don't have much paperwork and I was done by noon that day. I walked quickly to the office that the captain had to share with that red-haired idiot. Yeah, yeah, I know that I shouldn't insult my lieutenant, but I honestly don't care. I carefully knocked on the door. I heard my captain say 'Enter!' and I walked into the office. I bowed politely.

"What do you need, Takeshi?" Captain Kuchiki asked without ever looking up from his paperwork. I tried to ignore the eyes boring into my back from across the room.

"My paperwork is finished and I was wanting to spar with Rikichi. Is he available?" I asked.

"Rikichi is on assignment in the World of the Living," he replied. I felt a slight shift in Renji's reiatsu.

"Thank you, anyway, sir," I said bowing again. Renji stood up.

"Captain Kuchiki, I'm mostly done with my paperwork. I can spar with Takeshi," he said. I grimaced.

"No, Lt. Abarai. I'll just work on some evasive move or something."

"Takeshi, you will go and spar with Abarai," the captain said. "It'll get him out of my hair," he added under his breath. I growled in annoyance.

"Well, come on then, pineapple boy. Let's go!" I sneered. Renji frowned and followed me out of the office.

"Hey, I'm your superior! You're supposed to respect me, not insult me," he complained. I spun around.

"Oh, you mean after the crap you did when I first entered the squad?"

"What're you talking about?" he asked. I face-palmed.

"You put a dead fish in my pillowcase! My bed smelled like fish for a week! I had to go stay with Rangiku," I shuddered. He laughed.  
>"Fine. I'm sorry. Happy now, shorty?" he asked. I glared at him.<p>

"I'm not short! I'm a girl. I'm supposed to be smaller. Imagine if I looked like you. I'd never get a boyfriend," I told him. He frowned.

"Are you saying I'm not attractive?"

"Yep. That's exactly what I'm saying," I said as I started walking towards the training grounds again. Okay, that was a lie. I'd seen him without a shirt a few times and I have to admit the view wasn't bad. But he's the kind of person that if you tell them that they're good looking it goes straight to their head. Plus, no amount of hotness can make up for stupidity.

"Are you sure you mean that? I really am sorry about the fish," he said. We had just arrived at the training grounds.

"Draw your zanpakto. I'm ready to fight." I already had Katori* drawn. He frowned again and drew Zabimaru. I ran at him full speed. I swung at him, but he dodged and I hit the ground. He tried the same on me and I rolled out of the way. It went on like that for a while until I went into shikai.

"Burn, Katori!" I yelled. There was a burst of flame and my zanpakto was released. I gripped the hilt tightly and smiled at how my orange and red blade looked.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji yelled. He swung his sword at me and caught my shoulder. The part of my uniform that was cut fell down my arm and I could feel the blood flowing from my shoulder.

'_Okay, now I'm pissed!' _I thought. I charged at him with everything I had. Normally, my sword just had a slight glow around it. Now it was blazing, showing that I had completely snapped.

"Hina, calm down! We're only sparring!" Renji yelled to me. I kept swinging Katori as hard as I could, keeping Renji on the defensive. I only stopped for a moment to do something he never expected.

"Bankai! Bakuhatsu Katori**!" I screamed. Renji's eyes widened as I felt the fire engulf my body and felt the wings on my back. I was just getting ready to swing my sword when as binding kido surrounded me, forcing my zanpakto to go back to its sealed form. Renji just looked at me with shock covering his face. I looked behind me and saw my captain standing there with two other squad members.

"Escort her back to her room in the barracks. Released the kido once she's there," he said to them. Then, he looked at me. "You are to remain there for the rest of the day." I sighed and let them take me.

* * *

><p>I had been in my room for a few hours when someone knocked on my door.<p>

"Who is it?" I called.

"It's pineapple boy," Renji said. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in? I just want to ask you a few things."

"Fine. Come in," I said. The door slid open and Renji stepped inside. "I guess you deserve an explanation. He sat next to me on my futon.

"Why'd you go into bankai today? Did I really make you that mad? When did you even achieve bankai?" he asked. I shook my head.

"One question at a time. No, you didn't make me that mad. I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind. It has nothing to do with you. And I reached bankai a couple of years ago. I'm really sorry I was going to try to kill you today," I apologized. _**'And you didn't help things,' **_I thought to Katori. He only snorted and I growled at him.

"Hina, you okay?" Renji asked. I nodded.

"Sorry. My zanpakto's being stupid," I answered.

_**'Hey! You're the one who was going to try and kill your lieutenant!' **_Katori yelled.

_**'Oh, just shut up!' **_I yelled back. "I really am sorry, Renji. It won't happen again."

"Uh, would you want to come out drinking with me and the others tonight?" Renji asked suddenly. I just stared at him. "What?"

"You know I can't leave. Captain's orders," I told him. He sighed and then perked back up.

"He said you had to stay here for the rest of the _day._ We're going drinking to_night_," he replied.

"Renji, that's a technicality."

"Man, you're no fun," he said as he stood up to leave. I sighed.

"Fine, I'll go," I told him. He fist-pumped.

"I'll come get you when I leave." And with that, he left.

* * *

><p>I really did feel bad about attempting to kill Renji. I had a lot of things that were stressing me out. My sensei was sick. Really sick. And I was trying to save up money so I didn't have to live at the division on top of having to buy medicine for Sensei. I really didn't have the money to go out drinking, but I thought that maybe I'd relax enough so I didn't actually kill someone. I was laying on my futon reading a book from the World of the Living when Renji burst into my room.<p>

"Let's go!" he said, pulling me out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>*Katori-fire bird<strong>

****Bakuhatsu Katori-exploding fire bird **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! **

**ren-shika-inu15**


	2. It's only sake What could happen?

**Author's Note- This one's a little short. Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Hina. **

Chapter 2

When we got to the bar (which was more like a club), everyone cheered.

"Hey, you got her to come! Way to go, Red!" Ikkaku yelled out. I could tell he was already buzzed.

"I told you I would," Renji replied tugging on my short, brown ponytail. I swatted his hand away and glared at him.

"Who's up for a drinking game?" Rangiku called out. We all cheered.

* * *

><p>We had been drinking for a while and I was buzzed. Okay, I was flat out drunk and I had been flirting with Shuuhei for a while. The music changed and I pulled him out to the dance floor.<p>

"Damn, Shuuhei. Do you know how hot you are?" I slurred. I wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him down to meet my lips.

"What about Renji?" he mumbled as he moved down to kiss and nip at my neck. I pulled him closer so our bodies were pressed against each other.

"What about him?" I replied. He moved away and looked down at me with a drunken gaze.

"He broke a sake bottle when you kissed me." I looked back to the bar and saw Renji's hand bleeding. "We should go see if he's okay." I nodded and we stumbled over to the bar and up to Renji.

"Are you okay, Renji?" I asked. He gave me his signature handsome smile.

"Sure, Hina. I'm fine," he answered. I rolled my eyes and stumbled back into Shuuhei who stumbled a little too. I giggled and stood up straight again.

"You broke a sake bottle," I said to Renji. He waved it off.

"I'm fine, I told you." I shrugged and started to pull Shuuhei back out to the dance floor.

"Let's go dance some more, Shuu," I purred. I accidently bumped into Renji when he stood up.

"I think you need to go home. You're wasted," Renji said. I huffed and pouted.

"Whatever. Shuu, will you walk me home?" I asked sweetly. He was getting ready to answer when Renji cut him off.

"I'll walk you home," Renji said.

"But I wanna walk with Shuuhei," I slurred.

"You're my subordinate. I'm going to walk you home." His voice held a tone of finality. I huffed and walked out of the bar with Renji right behind me. We walked in silence for a long time, letting the cool air sober us up a little.

"Why wouldn't you let me walk with Shuuhei?" I asked. I stumbled into him and he stood me upright.

"Because he's just as drunk as you are. You're my friends and I don't want you to do anything that you two may regret," he answered sounding a lot more sober than he was. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. Why are you walking with me anyway?" I asked.

"There's no way I'm making it to my apartment tonight so I'm staying at the barracks instead," he said. We made it to the barracks shortly after that.

"Well, thanks for walking me back. I guess," I said. Suddenly, Renji had his hands on either side of my head against the wall.

"Why do you like Shuuhei so much? What does he got that I don't? I'm just as good as he is. I'll show you how good I am," he said huskily. He leaned in and pressed his lips hard against mine. He moved his body closer, pinning me against the wall with his weight. I gasped and he slid his tongue into my mouth. I slid my arms around his neck and let out a long, muffled moan when his tongue brushed against mine. When I moaned, he jumped back against the opposite wall. We just stood there and stared at each other for a while, both of us trying to catch our breath.

"Uh, um, goodnight, Hina," he said quickly and ran into the lieutenant's quarters.

"What just happened?"


	3. Hangovers and Hollows

**Author's Note-First of all, I want to say that FanFics are meant to be for fun. They don't have to be totally accurate. If this is similar to someone else's story, I'm sorry. Also, those of us that write these stories, we don't HAVE to post them. We do it for our enjoyment and the enjoyment our readers get from reading them. I hope I haven't offended anyone with this note. I'm very sorry if I did. I just felt like I needed to say it so I could continue this story. **

**I have to say that writing this story has become very difficult. I have had major writer's block and I've had trouble getting past it. Somehow I managed to get this chapter out. I hope that you all like this story and please vote on the poll on my profile that I've posted for this story. Thanks to all of you and please review. **

**Warnings: (I didn't think I'd have to do this, but oh well) OOC, inaccuracies, some other things. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Bleach. **_**Tite Kubo does. I'm just a poor girl from a small town that wished she owned it…**

Chapter 3

The next morning I woke up with a splitting headache. How I ever let Renji convince me to go out drinking on a work night, I'll never know. I walked into my bathroom and looked in the mirror. My face that normally looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, which was nowhere close to the ninety-five years old that I actually was, looked tired and worn. My green eyes that were usually bright looked dull and glazed. I sighed, took a shower, and got ready for work.

* * *

><p>As I was walking out the door, I noticed a small bottle sitting on the ground. It turned out to be hangover pills from Squad 4. I saw that there was a small note attached.<p>

_Hina, _

_ I hope this gets rid of the headache that I know you've got to have. _

_ -Shuuhei_

I smiled when I saw who it was from. I don't know if I've made it obvious yet, but I had a slight crush on Shuuhei. The night before, although I was drunk, I finally made my move. Suddenly, what happened between me and Renji came rushing back.

'_Why in Kami's name did he do that?' _I remembered how he pinned me against the wall and the longing I saw in his eyes. I shook my head and popped the pills in my mouth as I started to walk to my office.

* * *

><p>I had been working pretty slowly that day. My headache had gone away (Squad 4 medicine works miracles!) but I was super distracted. My thoughts kept drifting back to the bar. I thought about kissing Shuuhei and then I thought about the kiss with Renji.<p>

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Renji all day. Normally I bump into him at least once a day," I muttered to myself. At that moment, there was a knock on my office door. "Come in." The door slid open to reveal a very ragged-looking Renji. He stepped into my office and looked down at me. "What's up, Renji?" I asked. He winced.

"I was hoping you'd have some hangover pills. I'm out. And could you talk a little quieter?" he said. I smirked at him and got the pill bottle out of my desk drawer.

"Here you go," I said. He gave me a small smile.

"Thanks." He popped some of the pills in his mouth and swallowed. "Uh, I think we need to talk. About last night." I stiffened in my chair.

'_Damn! Okay, relax. You knew this was coming at some point,"_ I thought. Suddenly the alarm sounded and a voice rang throughout the Seireitei.

"_Alert! A large and powerful hollow has been spotted in Rukon District 77. Some Squad 6 members have engaged it and have been injured. Assistance is needed!" _I stood up so fast that my chair tipped over. Renji gave me a worried look.

"That's my district. I have to protect the people there. I've got to go," I said as I ran out the door, grabbing my zanpakto on the way.

* * *

><p>I shunpoed to District 77. It took me a minute to realize that Renji was following me.<p>

"What are you doing?" I called to him.

"I'm going to help you. You're my subordinate and so are the others. I'm doing my job," he replied. I rolled my eyes and kept going.

* * *

><p>We arrived just in time. The hollow was really big. It had a long tail and clawed hands. It was an odd greenish color with blue markings on its mask.<p>

Out of the five squad members that were there, only two were left standing. One woman and one man. I shook my head and drew my zanpakto.

"Burn, Katori! Scorch this hollow trash!" I yelled. I heard my zanpakto let a maniacal laugh inside my head. I slashed at the hollow, but it moved toward one of the squad members and I missed.

_**'Come on! I know you can do better than that!' **_Katori yelled.

"Shut up!" I said through gritted teeth. I swung at the hollow again and managed to put a large gash in its arm. I heard the female squad member scream and I turned to look at her. The hollow had caught her in its hand and was bringing her up to its mouth. Renji shunpoed and chopped its arm off just in time. All of a sudden, I felt pain sear through my stomach. I looked down and saw that the hollow's claw had made a huge cut across my abdomen.

"Damn it! Just great…" I said as everything started to fade away. I heard Renji call my name and then it went black.

**A/N-Hope you all liked it. It was really hard to write. Let me know if I did a good job describing the hollow. **

**ren-shika-inu15**


	4. What's going on with Renji?

**No Author's Note. **

**Warnings: OOCness, inaccuracies, some other stuff. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Bleach. **_**Tite Kubo does, that lucky lucky man…**

Chapter 4

I woke up in a room in Squad 4. And boy was I pissed.

'_Great! Just great! Damn it! How could I let this happen? Never drop your guard. I know that! Ugh!' _I thought angrily.

_**'Calm down. If you get too worked up, your wound could start bleeding again," **_Katori said. I wrinkled my nose in confusion.

_** 'Since when are you calm and reasonable?' **_I asked. He snorted.

_**'If you don't relax and heal, then it will take longer for us to be able to fight again. So shut up and relax!' **_

_** 'Fine. Whatever,' **_I replied. The door to my room slid open and Captain Unohana walked in with Hanataro by her side.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. I sighed.

"Well, pretty good. Except for my pride." The captain only laughed. Hanataro walked over and started to undo my bandages. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"Only a day. You should heal up in a few days or so. Oh, and you have a couple visitors. I told them they could come in after Hanataro is finished changing your bandages. I hope you don't mind," she said. I shrugged my shoulders. Hanataro finished quickly and left with Unohana. The door slid open and Renji and Shuuhei walked in. Okay, I changed my mind. I don't want them here right now! They sat on opposite sides of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" they asked at the same time. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Fine." I opened my eyes and saw them both frowning.

"Are you sure? I saw the wound. It looked fatal," Renji said. I glared at him.

"I said I'm fine! Don't you listen?" A hurt looked crossed his face as he looked at me and held his hands up in surrender.

"Hina, you need to stay calm. Captain Unohana wouldn't be happy if you opened your wound again," Shuuhei said calmly. I smiled softly at him.

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "It was nice of both of you to come see me. Thanks," I said to them. They both smiled.

"Well, Captain said I should come check on you even though I was already going to," Renji said. I frowned.

"Will you apologize to the captain for me? I let my guard down so it's my fault that I'm going to be stuck here for a few days." He nodded. I looked over to Shuuhei. "I want to apologize to you, too. I'm sorry if I came on too strong last night. I really didn't mean to. Apparently, I get kinda wild when I'm drunk," I said blushing. He only smiled.

"If you had been coming on too strong, I would've told you." I beamed at him. Suddenly, Renji stood up. He looked really mad.

"I can see that I'm intruding. I'll leave you two alone." And with that he was out the door. I looked at Shuuhei.

"What's up with him? Did I make him mad?" I asked. He only shrugged and I shook my head. "He's been acting really strange lately."

"Especially around you. And he seems like he can't stand me anymore. Maybe I can talk to him and get him to tell me what's up," he replied. I hoped it would work.

* * *

><p>The next day Renji showed up with Captain Kuchiki. He looked like he really didn't want to be there. The captain sat next to my bed and Renji stood behind him, completely straight-backed and rigid. He wouldn't even look at me.<p>

"Good morning, Captain Kuchiki. I would like to offer my apologies for letting myself be injured. It was mistake on my part. Oh, and good morning Lieutenant Abarai," I said. Renji only nodded, still not looking at me.

"Abarai has already given me your apologies. Also, I have spoken with Captain Unohana and it seems that you can be released tomorrow as long as you are not allowed to fight. I have made arrangements for you to be on desk duty for a month to make sure you are fully healed," Captain said. My jaw dropped.

"Desk duty for a whole month? That's torture!" Renji turned to glare at me.

"The captain has given you his orders. You are to obey them." I glared right back.

"Since when did you get all high and mighty? Just because you don't like me and I've upset you for some reason, doesn't give you the right to be such a jerk!" I yelled.

"I never said that I didn't like you! But you've been paying so much attention to _Shuu _that you've become completely blind to everything else around you!" he yelled back. I just lay there, shocked.

"Abarai! Takeshi! Calm yourselves. I will take my leave so that you may talk to each other like adults instead of screaming at each other like children." Captain stood up and walked out of the room. I just stared at Renji.

"What's wrong, Renji? Are you finished already?" I asked quietly. He sat down in the chair where Captain had been and put his face in his hands. "Are you jealous of Shuuhei or something?" He sighed.

"Yeah. That's exactly it and it sucks. I hate that he's got all your attention. Whenever he's around, it's all about him. You don't even yell at me when he's around. It's just….ugh!" He got up and started to pace the room.

"You know, most people would be happy if someone stopped constantly yelling at them."

"Well, apparently I'm not most people! When you yell at me, I know you actually pay attention to me. Within the past few days, you haven't been yelling as much. I was actually happy when you yelled a little bit ago. Do you not remember a few nights ago when I walked you back to the barracks from the bar? Do you remember that kiss? I thought I managed to put everything that I needed to say into that kiss…I guess not." He sat down again sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such an ass. It's not your fault if you have feelings for someone else."

I don't cry very often, but this was one time that I did. I covered my face with my hands and just bawled my eyes out in front of him. I sat that way for a while until Renji pulled my hands from my face. The look on his face only made me cry harder.

"Hina, are you okay? Is it your wound? Do I need to get Captain Unohana or Hanatarou? What's wrong?" he asked, panicked. I wiped my eyes and nodded.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay," I replied. He didn't look convinced. "I'm positive. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now come here." I put my hand on the back of his neck and kissed him the way he'd kissed me a few nights before. There had been a little feeling that had been nagging at the back of my mind since he kissed me. I knew I had to make a decision soon if I didn't want to hurt anyone. This was the best way to figure things out. We pulled apart and just stared at each other for a bit.

"I love you, Hina. I have for a while and seeing you with Shuuhei…it made me crazy. He's one of my best friends and my senpai, but I was ready to fight for you. I'll always fight for you. Always." All I could do was kiss him again and try to forget about having to pick between him and Shuuhei.


	5. Why does this happen to me?

**Author's Note-So. This story is coming along a little easier now. It's actually winding down pretty quick so it's only going to be a few more chapters. Enjoy! =)**

**Warnings: OOCness, inaccuracies, maybe some other stuff**

**Disclaimer: I **_**DO NOT**_** own **_**Bleach. **_**And Kubo-sensei is still a lucky man…**

Chapter 5

Renji spent that entire day with me. We mostly just talked. There may have been a little more going on too… Anyway, I finally realized that what I had thought was me thinking Renji was hot was more than that. I really liked him. It wasn't love, but it had the potential to become that. I really liked Shuuhei, too, which caused a problem. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I was really enjoying my time with Renji which was kind of weird since I used to not want him around at all. And he seemed to be in a much be in a much better mood than when he'd walked in with captain that morning.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be stuck on desk duty for a whole month," I whined. Renji laughed.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. You'll just have to get back in shape when the month is up," he replied. I heard Katori swear in my head.

"Katori and I are both gonna be getting pretty restless. He was actually telling me to relax just so we can get out and fight again. But stuck behind a desk for a month…"At that moment the door opened and Captain Unohana walked in.

"Oh, Lt. Abarai. I didn't realize you were still here," she said.

"Um, yes, Captain. I can leave if you need me to."

"That's not necessary. I was just coming to let Hina know that Lt. Hisagi was here to see her as well. Should I bring him in?" I sighed but nodded anyway. I was thinking that I could talk to them at the same time and get everything taken care of. Shuuhei walked in and smiled at me. He nodded to Renji. Unohana gave me a sympathetic look and walked out of the room.

"Are you feeling better, Hina?" Shuuhei asked. I nodded.

"Actually, I get released tomorrow. " He smiled.

"That's great." I nodded and gave each of them a serious look.

"I'm glad you're both here. I need to talk to you." Renji and Shuuhei both gave me worried looks.

"What's going on?" Renji asked. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.

"I've realized that I have feelings for both of you. And that means I'm going to have a difficult decision to make. Kami, why does this stuff happen to me?" I said. They looked at me, shocked. Renji recovered first.

"You like both of us?" he exclaimed. I nodded, not looking at him. "How?"

"How in the hell am I supposed to know? I've liked Shuuhei for a while and I've recently found out that I have feelings for you too. It's not hard to understand."

"So what are you going to do?" Shuuhei asked. I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure how well it will work."

"What is it?" Renji asked eagerly. I smiled gently.

"I've decided that I'll spend time with each of you alone. Like dates and stuff like that. I'll see if my feelings grow for one of you. Hopefully only one," I explained. I started tugging on the sleeping yukata that I had on. It's a nervous habit of mine.

"So when should we start this?" Shuuhei asked.

"I guess tomorrow. But who's going to go first?" I said. He thought about it.

"We could each pick a number. I know it's a simple thing, but it works," he said. Renji and I nodded.

"Pick between 1 and 10."

"Six," Renji said.

"I'll pick 9," Shuuhei said. I looked at Renji.

"I guess you get to go first, Pineapple Boy," I said with a small smile. Renji beamed at me.

"I've got some ideas. I better go. Captain's probably not going to be happy that I've skipped out on almost a full day's worth of work. I'll come back tomorrow when they release you," he said. Then, he did something I never expected from him. As he stood up to leave he bent down and gently kissed my forehead. Tears pricked my eyes at the sweetness of the gesture coming from someone like him. He smiled at me and left. I looked at Shuuhei and saw that he was looking away. I yawned and he looked at me.

"I'll let you get some rest. See ya." He got up and walked out. I could tell that he was a little put off. I figured I would sleep for a little while My dreams were filled with thoughts of what Renji would do for our date tomorrow.


	6. The Dates Begin!

**Author's Note- Chapter 6 coming your way! This is the 2****nd**** to last chapter and then there will be and epilogue. Enjoy!**

**Warnings: OOCness, inaccuracies, and possibly other stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own **_**Bleach**_**…**

Chapter 6

There was a knock on the door just as I finished changing into my shihaksho.

"Come in," I called. The door slid open and Renji came in.

"You ready to get back to work?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I guess the sooner I get back the sooner the month will be over." I grabbed Katori and followed Renji out to the front desk in the Squad 4 hospital. I filled out my release forms and we started walking to the squad station. "I almost can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually looking forward to our date." That made Renji smile.

"Patience, Takeshi, patience," he said with a laugh. He walked me to my office and was headed to his when he stopped and turned. "Meet me in Captain Ukitake's garden near the Squad 13 barracks at 8. And dig to the back of your closet and find that pretty kimono you wore to Yoruichi and Kisuke's wedding." He turned back around and went to his office.

* * *

><p>I stood in Captain Ukitake's garden, pulling on the sleeves of my kimono. I was a little worried that Captain Ukitake would be upset if he caught me in his garden. Suddenly Renji stepped out from behind one of the trees. He didn't say anything at first. He just looked at me.<p>

"What're you staring at?" I asked. He only smiled.

"There's so much I could say. But knowing you, I'd get hit," he said as he placed his hand on my head.

"Hey! Don't touch the hair! It took me forever to get it this straight. Oh and what gives? You want me to look nice and you still wear your uniform?" I said. He laughed.

"Don't pretend you're mad. I've seen how you look at me when we spar," he replied. I frowned.

"Really now? Maybe I should rethink this and just pick Shuuhei." It was Renji's turn to frown. "I'm only kidding. Have you really caught me?" He nodded.

"It's kinda hard not to when you're blatantly staring," he replied. I turned away as I felt my face get hot.

"Are we gonna stand around talking all night?" I asked. He grabbed my hand and led me to the small pond in the middle of the garden to a blanket that had been spread out. There were rice balls, a small bottle of sake and cups, and some other food.

"This may seem like something out of a cheesy movie from the World of the Living, but I hope you like it," Renji said almost shyly. I laughed at how cute he was being. "Why are laughing?"

"You're acting so out of character lately. I think it's cute." It was dark but I was pretty sure I saw him blush. That made me laugh again. We ate and talked for a while. When we finished he pulled me up off the ground. "So is the date fini-ahhhh!" I screamed as he scooped me up and started to shunpo away. "Renji! Where are we going?" I exclaimed.

"I had this idea and thought that maybe you'd like it." By the time he finished speaking we had arrived at the highest point in the Seireitei: the roof of the Repentance Cell.

I don't think I mentioned it yet and it may seem a bit typical and you may have heard it a lot before, but I've got a thing for the stars. I love 'em. When I get upset, if it happens at night, I'll climb up on the roof and just stare at the sky. Clichéd, right? I know, I know. Sorry. Anyway, back to the story.

I just stood there shocked for a moment. I jumped when Renji spoke.

"I remembered that you once told me that you like to look at the stars. I thought we could come up here for a while. Do you wanna stay?" he asked. I nodded as I took turns staring up at the sky and out over the Soul Society.

"Wow. We're so close to the stars and I can see so far…This is amazing, Renji!" he sat down and pulled me down next to him. I leaned against him and he put his arm around me, pulling me close. "It's so beautiful. Thank you, Renji," I said as I looked out over the Soul Society. I turned to look at him and he caught my lips in a searing kiss. It startled me at first but I relaxed into it easily.

I couldn't explain it then, but I felt so safe with Renji. As I thought back on it, I realized that I'd always felt that way. On the few missions I'd gone on with him, and even on the day we fought the hollow in District 77. Sorry, getting sidetracked.

Renji and I eventually had to stop to breathe. I was on my back with Renji above me. I just stared up at him for a while, studying his face. I reached up and pulled off the bandanna he wore around his head. He smiled as I lightly traced his tattoos with my fingers.

"These are gorgeous…" I whispered. I slid my fingers down his face and neck to the tattoos on his chest. His breath hitched as my fingers traced across his pec. He leaned down and started to kiss along my jaw and down my neck. I moaned quietly as he ran his hand down my side to my hip. He moved his lips to the tender spot behind my ear and I moaned louder. I felt him grin against my skin.

"Get any louder and the whole Soul Society will hear you," he whispered in my ear.

"Shut up." He chuckled and ran his tongue along the shell of my ear. I shivered and closed my eyes. He moved back down my neck to my shoulder. He started to push my kimono out of the way and kissed the skin he exposed. He let out a lust-filled growl and my eyes shot open. "Renji, stop." He let out another growl. "Renji! I said stop!" I yelled as I pushed against his chest. He pulled away and looked down at me.

"What's wrong, Hina?" he asked. I got out from under him and stood up, fixing my kimono. He stood up with me. "What did I do?" I sighed.

"We can't do this. Not right now. We can't forget that I have feelings for Shuuhei, too. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't give him a chance," I explained. I gave him a sad smile. "It's not that I don't want to, but I really need to give Shuuhei a chance, too." He nodded in understanding. "It's getting kind of late. Should we go home?" I asked.

"I guess so. I'm sorry about this," he apologized. I laughed.

"Do you think this ended badly? I had so much fun. I'm really glad we did this and I can't wait to do it again!" I exclaimed.

"Really?" I nodded. We shunpoed back to my room in the barracks and stood outside the door for a bit, not speaking. Eventually I leaned up to place a chaste kiss on his lips and turned to walk inside when I stopped.

"Renji, would you like to stay with me tonight?" I asked quietly. He smiled softly.

"I'd like that a lot. How about we stay in my room though?" I thought about a minute before nodding. I followed him into his room and sat on his futon. He went to his closet and pulled out a sleeping yukata. He slipped out of the top of his uniform and started to take off his hakama when I let out a squeak.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"You can't just take your pants off like I'm not here!" I exclaimed. I felt my face heat up as he stared at me.

"Why not?" My eyes widened.

"'C-cause you just can't!" My face got even warmer as I looked at him. The tattoos on his chest and abs were begging to have my fingers trace over them. The tie on his hakama was undone and they were just barely hanging on his hips. I shook my head to clear it and barely caught the yukata he tossed at me.

"It'll be big on you. You can change in the bathroom." I gave him a funny look.

"I can just walk across the hall and get one of mine," I replied. He waved it off.

"It's not a big deal. Just put it on," he said. I scowled at him but did what he said. When I came out of the bathroom Renji was lying on his back on the futon with his arms behind his head. He sat up when he heard me come out and he busted up laughing. I scowled again.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be!" He fell back, laughing even harder. I looked down at myself. The sleeves were hanging past my hands and the bottom was pooled around my feet.

"Oh, just shut up," I mumbled. I walked to the futon and he pulled me down next to him. I yawned and he smiled.

"Tired, are we?" he asked. I punched him playfully in the chest and scooted under the blanket, cuddling close to him.

"Thank you for tonight, Renji." I yawned again and pressed my face into his neck. He put and arm around my waist and held me close. He started to run his fingers through my hair when I closed my eyes. Just as I started to drift off, I heard him whisper.

"I love you, Hina. I'll keep fighting no matter what."

* * *

><p>I woke up early the next morning, before Renji. I wriggled out from under his arms and placed a kiss on his forehead before sneaking out of his room. As I was getting ready to open my door, I saw a bouquet of purple roses sitting on the floor. I picked them up and read the card: <em>I'll pick you up at 8. See you soon, Beautiful. –Shuuhei. <em>I smiled and walked into my room to get ready for work.

I was almost finished with my work for the day when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called. Rikichi walked in with his head bowed. "Hey, Rikichi. What's the matter?" he looked up and I saw his cheeks were tinted pink. "Are you okay?" He nodded.

"Um, Lt. Abarai would like you to meet him at the training grounds if possible. Oh! And he sent this," he said as he set a single red tulip on my desk. My eyes widened as I picked it up. Rikichi bowed and rushed out of the room. I stared at the perfect red tulip in my hand. Red tulips are my favorite flower even if they do mean undying love. I read the card that was attached and realized that was the reason he sent it.

_I'll fight until my last breath. As long as I know I'm fighting for a life with you._

_ -Renji_

I smiled and shook my head as I placed the flower back on my desk. I grabbed Katori and headed to the training grounds.

* * *

><p>I arrived at the training grounds to see Renji trying (key word is trying) to do some kido.<p>

"Come on, come on!" he grunted. I ducked behind a rock when I saw the energy gathering in his hands. When Renji tries kido it's safest to find a good hiding spot to make sure you don't get hurt. He yelled out the incantation and soon after I heard and explosion. I looked out from behind the rock and saw Renji lying on the ground. I ran over to make sure he was okay.

"Are you all right, Renji?" I asked. I coughed and waved away the smoke that was rising from his shihaksho. I knelt down and waved my hand in front of his face. "Yoo hoo! Are you in there?" He didn't answer. "Come on, Renji. This isn't funny." I lightly slapped his cheek, trying to wake him up. I almost screamed when I realized he wasn't breathing. I put my lips on his and started doing CPR. Suddenly I felt his lips curl up into a smile and he started to kiss me. I pulled away and smacked him across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his face where I hit him.

"It was for being an ass! That wasn't funny, Renji! I was really scared!" I yelled. I stood up and tried to keep my hands from shaking.

"You shouldn't have been. All it did was knock the wind outta me when I hit the ground. I played it up a bit, but I only wanted a kiss," he replied.

"You could've just asked!" I stormed off, my riatsu swirling around me like a flame.

* * *

><p>I walked back to my office, still fuming. I barely noticed the other soul reapers press themselves against the walls as I passed. Shortly after I got back to my office there was a knock on the door.<p>

"What?" I yelled. The door slid open and Rangiku poked her head around it.

"Well, someone's not very happy," she said as she walked in. I ignored her and started filling out forms that didn't need to be done until tomorrow. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I said sharply. She pouted.

"Oh, come on! Your riatsu says otherwise," she said as she poked me in the forehead. I slapped her hand away and glared at her. "You can tell me. I swear I won't say a word." I sighed.

"Fine." I explained everything about me, Renji, and Shuuhei. Then, I told her what happened at the training grounds.

"Wow. You must really like Renji if you're this upset," she laughed. I shot a glare at her which she ignored. "So you have your first date with Shuuhei tonight? I wonder what he'll do…" I smiled.

"I don't know, but I had flowers outside my door this morning," I said. She squealed.

"Awww! That's so romantic!" I rolled my eyes. I sighed and Rangiku frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I'm worried that Renji's upset with me now. I did smack him across the face…" Rangiku plopped down on my desk and stared at me.

"Are you sure you wanna go on this date with Shuuhei tonight? Because it sounds like you'd much rather be with Renji," she said seriously. I sighed and put my head in my hands.

"I don't know… I've liked Shuuhei for a long time. Way before I ever liked Renji. But now that I actually have feelings for Renji, almost all I want to do is be with him. Kami, I'm so confused!" I let my head fall onto my desk. "What should I do?"

"Maybe you should still go on this date. Keep this thing going for a while and see how things go," she said. I sighed and nodded. "I hope things work out."

* * *

><p>That night, Shuuhei took me out to one of the best restaurants in the Soul Society. Dinner was really good, but I think he started to catch on that I was preoccupied.<p>

"Are you all right, Hina?" Shuuhei asked. I shook my head to clear it.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I replied. He frowned.

"Well, you seem to be a little out of it. What's on your mind?" I frowned because I really couldn't tell him what was on my mind. I couldn't stop worrying about if I'd mad Renji mad. Then, my mind kept straying to last night on top of the Repentance Cell. Shuuhei's voice snapped me back to the present. "It's ok. You don't have to tell me." I reached over the table and placed my hand over his.

"I'm fine. I promise." I smiled at him and squeezed his hand. He smiled back. The rest of dinner went well and he walked me back to Squad 6. We stopped at my door to say goodnight.

"I really enjoyed this date, Hina. I've realized that my feelings for you are stronger than I originally believed. I know that you also have feelings for Renji, but I really hope you choose me," he said. He placed a soft kiss on my lips and left. Shortly after that, the door across the hall opened and Renji leaned against the door frame in only his hakama. I felt my heart flutter at the sight of him.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to work a little harder," he said.

"What do you-"before I knew it I was up against my door with my wrists pinned above my head and Renji's lips pressed hard against my own. I melted into him as his free hand roamed all over my body. He moved his lips to my ear.

"It still drives me crazy. The thought of you being with him. The thought of you being with anyone, but me. I almost can't take it," he whispered huskily. I shivered and moaned as he licked the shell of my ear. He pressed closer and I moaned louder, my want for Renji growing with every touch of his lips and fingers. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp and he stopped. I kept trying to free my wrists "What's the matter?"

"I wanna touch you," I groaned. He laughed and let me go. In an instant I had him pulled back against me, my lips hard on his. He growled as I ran my fingers down his chest and stomach. I started to pull on the tie of his hakama and he grabbed my wrists. "No. I don't wanna stop…" I kept trying to kiss him but he stayed out of my reach.

"We have to stop. Don't forget Shuuhei. I've got something to tell you anyway. I've got a week long mission in the World of the Living." I stared at him. "I wanted to let you know. That's actually what I wanted to tell you at the training grounds today."

"Why? You can't leave now! I don't want you to. What about our thing? You can't leave for a week!" I exclaimed. He looked down at me.

"Don't worry. It's only a week. I'll be back before you know it. Spend the week with Shuuhei. If you really feel you need to you can make your decision when I get back." He laughed. "I actually can't believe I'm saying all this. Oh, I leave in the morning." He turned and walked back to his room without another word.


	7. The Decision

**Author's Note-This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you've enjoyed it. **

**Warnings: OOCness, inaccuracies, and other stuff…**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it…**

Chapter 7

It had been a few day since Renji left I was out on my 3rd date in a row with Shuuhei. This time we were hanging out at his place.

"So you don't get along with Kazeshini?" I asked. He nodded.

"He doesn't seem to like me and the feeling is mutual. His shape is what really bothers me. He looks like he was made for reaping souls. Which is the total opposite of what we're supposed to do…" he trailed off.

"Hmm…" We stared at each other for a bit before we pressed our lips together. I pushed him backwards and his back hit the floor with a thud. His hands were on my waist, holding me against him. Suddenly, hell butterfly fluttered in through the open window. It landed on my shoulder and I heard Captain Unohana's voice.

_"4__th__ seat of Squad 6 Hina Takeshi, you are to report to the Squad 4 hospital." _ My eyes widened as I began to panic. I thought maybe someone from 77 had brought in Sensei and that he'd gotten worse. I climbed off of Shuuhei.

"What's the matter, Hina?" he asked.

"I have to go to Squad 4. I'll see you later," I replied. He grabbed my hand.

"I'll go with you." We flash-stepped to the hospital and went to straight to the front desk.

"Captain Unohana sent me a hell butterfly. Where is she?" I asked. The nurse told me and I practically ran to the room. I opened the door and saw Renji lying on the bed, struggling for each breath and covered in bloodstained bandages. I ran to him with tears running down my face, Shuuhei practically forgotten. I looked at Unohana. "What happened? Is he going to be okay?" I said hysterically.

"Calm down, Hina. A menos attacked him while he was fighting another hollow. He's stabilized and is much better than when he first came in," she replied. That freaked me out more.

"What kind of shape was he in at first?" I yelled. His breath hitched and the tears came faster. Unohana injected him with something and his body seemed to relax. I looked at the captain. "I'm not going to leave his side until I know he's okay." She nodded and I sat down in the chair next to the bed. She walked out the door and Shuuhei followed. I grabbed Renji's hand and refused to let go.

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the night when I felt the bed move under my head. I was instantly awake and sitting up, looking at Renji.<p>

"Hina?" he asked, his voice hoarse. Tears pricked my eyes.

"It's me. I'm here," I whispered. He stared at me as he focused his eyes. He smiled and let his head fall back on the pillow.

"I thought I was hallucinating," he said with a dry laugh. The tears were flowing freely now (which kind made me mad since I don't normally cry). I smiled at him.

"You're not. I'm really here. And…I pick you," I replied. His face scrunched up in confusion.

"You pick me? For what?"

"I wanna be with you. You've won the fight." His eyes widened. He struggled to sit up but eventually made it.

"You picked…me?" I wiped at my eyes and nodded. "Really?" I laughed and nodded again. Ignoring his wounds, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled onto the bed next to him. He held me tight, acting as though he never wanted to let me go.

"I love you, Hina. I always will. Ugh!" He doubled over and clutched his chest.

"Renji! Are you okay? Do I need to get Unohana?" I asked frantically. He shook his head.

"I'm…all right. I promise. I think I should lie down though," he replied. I started to climb out of the bed when he pulled me down next to him. "I didn't say I wanted you to leave." I laughed and curled up next to him. We lay there for a long time just staring at each other and occasionally stealing kisses. Eventually we both started to drift off. Before I closed my eyes, I whispered something to Renji.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>The next morning I woke up when I heard the door slide open. I practically jumped out of the bed when I saw Shuuhei.<p>

"I came to check on both of you," he said quietly. I walked over to him.

"Do you think we could step outside? I need to talk to you and I don't want to wake Renji," I whispered. He nodded and we walked into the hall and I quietly slid the door shut. "I've made a decision. I don't want to hurt you, but I've realized that I can't be without him, as cheesy as that sounds. And I know this is going to be clichéd, but I would still like to be your friend as well.

"I understand. I would still like to be your friend as well. And when he wakes up, tell Renji I said he's a very lucky man." He turned to leave and I grabbed his wrist. He turned back to me and I placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Shuuhei." He smiled and left. I turned and went back into Renji's room. I was surprised to see him sitting up. "Are you all right Renji?" I asked.

"Shuuhei's right, you know. I really am lucky," he replied. I smiled.

"You're not the only one," I said with a smile. I sat next to him on the bed and melted when he wrapped his arms around me.

Later that day, Renji forced me to go to work. He said that the Squad 4 healers would take good care of him and he'd have a hell butterfly sent if anything bad happened. It took a while but eventually I went I wasn't happy about it either. After I'd been in my office a while, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called. The door opened to reveal practically the whole SWA with Rangiku and Yachiru in the lead. Somehow, and I'm not exactly sure, they all managed to cram into my tiny office. "What's up?"

"We came to inform you that we had two pools going. One was who you would pick and the other was what day you'd make your decision," Nemu said.

"And I won! Well, the one about who you'd pick at least," Rangiku exclaimed.

"How did only you win? There were only two choices!" I said. She smiled proudly.

"I'm the only one who thought you'd pick Renji!" She replied.

"The rest of us thought that Pineapple Head was too much like you so you wouldn't pick him," Yachiru piped up. I shook my head.

"Who won the other one?" I asked. I saw a hand go up in the back of the group.

"I did," said a shy voice. I looked and saw that Isane had her hand up. "I overheard the two of you while you were in the hospital. It was kind of hard not to when you guys were yelling. Anyway, I guessed and won."

"You girls are crazy." They all laughed, said goodbye, and filed out the door. I smiled. Everything had turned out all right.


	8. Epilogue

**Author's Note-Well, here we are. The very end. It may seem kind of long. Hope you enjoy! **

**Special Warning: Things get a bit, um…intimate. The details don't go that far so don't worry. Still if you don't like that stuff, you don't have to read it. **

**Warnings: OOCness, inaccuracies, other stuff…**

**Disclaimer: Haven't owned it this whole time and still don't…**

Epilogue: A month and a half later

"Renji, are you sure they released you?" I asked skeptically.

"Of course! Why would I lie to you?" he replied. I scowled at him.

"Because you hate being in a hospital bed as much as I do." He shrugged.

"Go ask Unohana if you don't believe me." I sighed and grabbed his crutch and then got on the other side of him to help him walk. He grunted as he stood and leaned heavily on me and the crutch.

"You okay?" I asked. He nodded and we slowly made our way out to the front desk. He signed the papers and we left the hospital. "So do you want to go to the barracks or do you wanna go home?" He smiled and I could tell there was a plot forming. "What is it?" He only smiled at me.

"Nothing," he laughed. I frowned but shrugged it off. I'd find out sooner or later. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>We got to his apartment about an hour and a half later. It's really not that far, but it was slow going, my injured boyfriend and all. I got him into the apartment and sat him down on the couch.<p>

"Do you need anything?" I asked. He gave me a coy smile and I thought I'd mess with him. I started to lean in like I was going to kiss him and then quickly stood up and walked to his kitchen. "How about I make you dinner?" I looked back at him and he was frowning at me. He sighed.

"I don't see why not. You can cook, can't you?" I put my hands on my hips.

"My sensei not only taught me how to fight, but he made me into a master chef," I boasted. Renji laughed.

"Fine. Make me dinner."

* * *

><p>I made Renji my best stir-fry and even made him taiyaki. He freaked.<p>

"You made me taiyaki?" he asked surprised.

"I remembered that you said it was your favorite. I figured you'd like it after having to eat hospital food forever," I replied with a laugh. He scarfed down the taiyaki before he ever tried the rest of the food.

"_MMMMM!_ That was awesome!" he said as he let his head fall back against the couch. I laughed.

"Are you gonna try the rest of it?" He nodded and ate quickly. After he finished, he carefully moved so he was lying with his head in my lap. "She can cook! Even more reason to love her!" he exclaimed with a laugh. I blushed and tried to look away but Renji grabbed my chin. "So what do we do now?"

"Maybe I should head home. You need your rest. I'll help you into bed if you want me to," I said quickly. He smiled.

"That last part sounds good." I helped him up and got him to his room. He lay down and got comfortable. "Stay," he said when I got up to leave.

"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded and leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. I kissed him back and felt his riatsu shift. His kisses became harder and shorter. I struggled to keep up with him. I lay down so he wouldn't strain himself. His arms were quickly around me and I was pulled against him. He moved his lips to my throat and good chills ran up and down my spine. My mind went back to the night on top of the Repentance Cell. Something crossed my mind. This time we didn't have to _stop._ I pulled his face back to mine and kissed him with fervor. I felt more than heard him growl as I ran my nails across his back. He pushed my shihaksho of my shoulders and started nipping and licking along my collarbone. At one point he bit down hard enough that I felt his canines dig deep into the skin and I knew it would leave a mark. I let out a loud moan. I felt him move his hands to my waist and start to undo the tie on my hakama. I grabbed his hands even though I never wanted to stop. I looked at him, saw his eyes clouded with lust, sweat glistening on his skin, and little strands of hair hanging in his face after falling out of his hair tie.

"Renji," I said quietly. "Are you sure you're healed enough to do this? I don't want to hurt you." He sighed and rolled onto his back with a grunt.

"You don't want to do this yet." It wasn't a question. "I understand. We can wait." I moved so I sat squarely on his hips and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Renji Abarai, I want nothing more than to keep going. But I'm worried about your wounds. I really don't feel like sending you back to the hospital for something like this." Just to prove that I meant what I said, I made my riatsu cover him like a blanket so he could feel what I was feeling. I heard a sharp intake of breath and his hand were instantly back at my waist. That set me off and, well, let's just say that it was a night that neither of us would ever forget.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning tangled up in blankets and my legs entwined with Renji's. I tried to untangle myself without waking him up, but knew that I had failed when I felt his arms pull me towards him.<p>

"Good morning," I said. He smiled and kissed me hard.

"More like great morning," he replied. I laughed, but then frowned slightly when I saw long gashes with dried blood down his arms.

"Are these from me?" I asked. He nodded.

"You're pretty wild," he replied with a laugh. "Although I think I did worse." He ran his fingers along my shoulder and collarbone. I looked down and saw bites and bruises where his fingers were. He moved his fingers up to my neck and I knew there were more there. I grabbed his hand and held it tight.

"I'd say were even then. Want some breakfast?" I asked. He nodded so I got up and put on the top half of my uniform, tying it closed with the belt from my hakama. I made my way to the kitchen and started going through the cabinets in search of food. A little bit after that I heard Renji walk in and sit down at the table. I eventually found some rice but had to stretch for it. I could feel Renji's eyes on me and suddenly he was at my back grabbing the rice off the shelf for me. "You're moving a lot quicker than I thought you would be in your condition."

"I'm healed more than you think. I was sort of playing it up yesterday," he said slyly. "I just wanted you to stay and take care of me." He handed me the rice and I started cooking.

* * *

><p>We'd finished our breakfast and had curled up together on Renji's couch. Renji had me leaning on his chest despite it still being sore.<p>

"How do you feel?" I asked. I felt his fingers trail across my hip at the hem of my clothes.

"Never been better," he replied. I laughed and we fell into silence again. "You should stay," he said suddenly. I gave him a confused look.

"I'm not leaving yet, Renji," I replied.

"That's not what I mean. I mean you should stay as in move your stuff here, sleep here, stay here every day," he said quietly. I sat up so I could look straight at him.

"Renji, are you asking me to move in with you?" I asked just as quiet. He nodded. "You really want me to?" He nodded again. I just sat there for a while in shock.

"You don't have to if it's too soon. It'd just be nice to have you here or something like that…" he said. I smiled at his unusual shyness.

"I'd love to move in with you, Renji."

* * *

><p>The next day after I got done with work, I convinced Ikkaku, Ichigo (who had just shown up), and, surprisingly, Shuuhei to help me move my stuff to Renji's apartment.<p>

"Did you really need our help? There's not a lot here," Ichigo said. I rolled my eyes.

"I only wanted to make one trip. Plus, you didn't have to help so quit complaining, Strawberry," I replied.

"Don't call me that!" I laughed as we reached the apartment. I knocked on the door and Renji opened it.

"Hey, guys come on in," he said. We walked into the apartment and put the boxes down in the living room. "Is this it?" I nodded.

"Living in a tiny room in the barracks kind of keeps you from having a ton of stuff," I laughed.

"I say we go out and celebrate! Who's up for a drink?" Ikkaku yelled.

"You're just looking for a reason to get drunk," Ichigo said. We all laughed.

"Renji, are you okay enough to go out?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

"I told you yesterday that I was healed better than you think I am," he replied. I smiled at him.

"I say we go out. Let's go, guys!" I exclaimed.

* * *

><p>We went out to some bar that Ikkaku picked out. He must have gone there a lot because the crowd inside cheered his name when we walked in. We walked up to the bar and sat down.<p>

"Hey, Ikkaku. What can I get you and your friends?" the bartender said as he walked up. Ikkaku grinned.

"Give us your best bottle of sake. We're celebrating!" the bald man answered.

"Okay. What'cha celebratin'?" the bartender asked as he got the bottle and some cups. Ikkaku grinned again as he motioned toward me and Renji.

"My friends here just moved in together," he replied. The bartender congratulated us and we started to drink. Turns out that Ichigo can't hold his alcohol very well. The poor kid was buzzed after two glasses. After four, he was flat out drunk and stumbling around the bar like a fool. It took the rest of us a little longer to get that bad. We played a couple of drinking games and after that Renji and I decided to stumble home.

We were on our way home, laughing and giggling the whole way. I stubbed my toe on a street tile that was sticking up a bit and tripped, but before I could hit the ground, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against his body. I tilted my head back to look at his face.

"Thank you," I said with a drunken smile. He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead.

"I'll always be there to catch you when you fall," he replied. At that moment, he scooped me up in his arms and kissed me hard as he started walking again.

"I love you, Renji," I told him. He smiled down at me again and I reveled in that smile and how perfect it felt to be in his arms. We'd just gotten back to the apartment and he set me on my feet.

"I love you, too, Hina. I've got you now and I don't plan on ever letting you go. Remember, no matter what, I'll fight for you." We walked into the apartment and I realized that I couldn't wait to start this new life with the man I loved.

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><p>So now you know. It really was a tough choice. Shuuhei and Renji are both really great guys. I guess Renji just managed to sway me his way. We've been living together for a while now and things couldn't be better. We've actually thought about getting a bigger apartment. Maybe with a couple of extra bedrooms. You never know when there may be a new little soul reaper running around. Haha. Anyway, I think I hear Renji calling me. Thanks for taking the time to listen and I hope you liked it.<p>

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><p><strong>AN-Well, that's it! I hope you all enjoyed it. As sad as I am to see this end, I'm kind of glad. It was touch and go for a while but I finally finished it. Plus, I've already got two more stories in the works. And, yes, one of them is another Renji story. Thanks to everyone who read and to everyone who reviewed. See you next time!**

**ren-shika-inu15**


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